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The U.S. military is advancing development of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV systems, with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and U.S. Navy being involved in several leading edge VTOL drone programs. VTOL X-Plane One of the programs of interest is the DARPA lead VTOL Experimental Plane (VTOL X-Plane) program is a cross-pollination […]

Produced and organized by UAS Magazine, the UAS Summit & Expo is an annual event that gathers industry experts for UAS technical presentations and events and companies showcasing their latest drone related products and services. While the UAS Summit & Expo is held in North Dakota, there is also a regional event held in Arizona. […]

The interest in drones for agricultural crop spraying continues to grow as does the corresponding options for UAV platforms increases. From the Yamaha UAV helicopters that have serviced Japan for more than 20 years to DJI’s premier intelligent multicopter, the MG-1S, there are a number of options for the precision application of liquid pesticides, fertilizers […]

The 360 degree camera drone market is just getting started and therefore the options are still limited … however, there are a few platforms that have been announced that look very interesting. The 360 degree VR video market is starting to gain traction with big media like YouTube and Facebook now supporting the publishing of […]

After more than 700 days in space, the world’s ultimate drone, the Air Force’s X-37B unmanned space vehicle, landed at NASA ‘s Kennedy Space Center on May 7, 2017. Beginning in 2010, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) has now flown four successful missions. X-37B Mission The X-37B OTV program aims to demonstrate technologies for a reliable, […]

DJI now offers three models in its Phantom 4 camera drone product line. The new Advanced version offers a mid-range in price and functionality between the Pro and standard 4 versions. The Advanced provides a lower price point than the Pro while still offering the upgraded camera from the standard model … 4K/60fps : 20MP […]

DARPA and U.S. Navy’s joint program for development of a UAV for small-deck ships is progressing toward the target date of 2018 to begin test flights. The Tern project design is a flying-wing type drone that would lift off like a helicopter and then transition to wing-borne flight. The above video is a Phase 3 […]

For drone trade shows there are three main expositions in Japan … Japan Drone, International Drone Expo, and IDE Tokyo. As for the growing FPV drone racing industry, the Japan Drone Racing Association, Drone Impact Challenge, and Japan Drone League hold regular events. International Drone Expo Held April 19-21, 2017, the International Drone Expo, the second big […]

An integral component of air warfare in the future looks to be unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV) like the X47B, Taranis, nEUROn, and Sharp Sword combined with Swarm Drone types of systems. READ MORE: Swarm Drone systems Let’s take a closer look at the UCAV systems under development. X-47B (U.S.) The Northrop Grumman X-47B is […]

There are many uses for drones … hobby, sport, commercial, military. UAV drones also show great potential in helping to save lives. Here are a few examples of that potential. 1. UNICEF and Malawi Government One application in which drones are helping to safe lives is being sponsored by UNICEF. UNICEF Innovation, in partnership […]

UPS joins other package delivery companies around the world like DHL, Posti, Swiss Post, and others in testing the use of drones to make commercial deliveries of packages. In late 2016 UPS conducted two test projects that showcased using drones for the delivery of life-saving and urgent packages. One test was with drone manufacturer CyPhy […]

Around the world there are a growing number of projects that are moving us ever closer to the day when we will be getting our packages via air. Want a chicken sandwich and a doughnut? Place the order online and a few minutes later a drone will arrive with your order. Or make it a […]

India, long known for its prowess in software, may become a world leader in drone enhancements more through software rather than hardware, but the young manufacturing industry is showing good signs of growth. Like Japan, India companies seem to be focusing on development of all purpose business and enterprise level drones because China has a […]

The drone market in Japan is gaining traction in both the consumer and commercial businesses. While Chinese manufacturers still dominate the consumer segment, several strong Japanese manufacturers are being seen on the commercial side. Showing how fast the local drone industry is advancing, currently several times a year large events are being held that display […]

A new competitor in the agriculture market, the OPTiM Agri Drone, shows great potential with its unique capability for pinpoint and night attacks on insects. The result of a joint project among Saga University, Saga Prefecture Government and IT company OPTiM, the multicopter drone has been optimized for agricultural work and is currently being tested […]

Mobile phone service provider, NTT DoCoMo recently performed the first test in Japan to remotely control a small UAV (drone) using the cellular/mobile phone communication network (LTE network). The test included controlling the drone and the drone sending real time camera video and flight data to a base station located at a distance of 50km […]

The battle of the new fold-up drones has begun. Both DJI and GoPro have designed nice fold-up portable camera drones … the Karma from GoPro and the Mavic Pro from DJI. Reviewing the specs and features, it looks like the Mavic Pro beats the Karma in several areas, including flight time (Mavic 27 minutes vs. […]

A promising new battery technology might be what the drone industry has been looking for … longer drone flight times. For commercial applications like home package delivery, battery capacity (flight time) is a key component to the success of the service. Companies like Amazon, WalMart, and 7-Eleven are testing drone delivery and extending the flight […]

Convenience store retailer 7‑Eleven and drone delivery service Flirtey announced that they completed the first fully autonomous drone delivery to a customer’s residence (July 22, 2016 company news release). According to the news release, the delivery marked the first time in the U.S. that a customer received drone delivery of a package to their home. Check […]

The 2016 U.S. National Drone Racing Championships (Drone Nationals) is positioned to move FPV drone racing to the next level in its ever increasing popularity as a sport. Scheduled for August 5-7 in NYC on Governor’s Island, the pilots participating are the winners of qualifying events that are held across the U.S. In turn the […]

FPV drone racing continues to grow in popularity around the world and the East Coast of the U.S. is no exception. A precursor to the IDRA Drone Nationals are the qualifier races and Charlotte, North Carolina will be home to one of those qualifying races. The Flymore Invitational drone race will be held at the old […]

This looks like the future of military warfare … To overwhelm the resources of the enemy with swarms of drones that would among other capabilities provide a safer opening for manned aircraft and other tactical vehicles to enter the enemy’s space. The key to an effective swarm system is that the entire group acts as […]

Two of Japan’s big retailers are pursuing drone delivery services. Japan’s No. 1 online shopping site, Rakuten, is testing the concept by first testing a golf course delivery service. Also, Aeon, Japan’s huge general merchandise retailer, tested the concept by performing a delivery of a bottle of wine. These are two tests toward implementing future […]

For agriculture spraying it’s the new drone on the block vs the tried and true. Yamaha’s RMAX has been in production since 1997 and treats 2.4 million acres of farmland in Japan each year (2014). The DJI Agras MG-1 on the other hand is a newly released model from the world leader in the consumer UAV […]

Japan held its first big event for the commercial drone market, Japan Drone 2016, on March 24-26 at the Makuhari Messe convention center located outside Tokyo. A success, according to the event organizer, over 8,000 people attended. On hand were around 150 drones on display by some 120 companies and organizations. Check out the above […]